Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-11-12
AMONG THE MEXICANs.
CacahuAmilpa, the WonderiaI cavern
 subterrenesn Abode Of the "ehh- sr.c;al Corrsanondence of the CTTIzrS.


 CuERHAvLoA. Oct. 22j, 1887.
 The vitching hour of three @. nn. found n, assembled in the court yard, all on horseback, the party of yesterday aug mented by the vallient Alcsldi and his three other tan-oolored MeUcsus from Acapsnsingo, besides two extra
 guides, several well-srmed mosos, and another donkey laden from head to tall
 with luggage.
 Iu the early morning, the atmosphere of the
 TERRA CALIENTE
 is the most perfect that can be mag insd. Merely to breathe it is happiness enough, and the natives are wise Tn their habit of arising long enough before "sun up" to accomplish all the business of inc day by the time foreigners are
 ready to begin; and then, while the lat
 ter are frettIng and fumIng during the
 heated hours, the MexlosDs enjoy a
 peaceful siesta between eleven 0 oeiock
 and evening. | Owing to sIsepiness and plrcid de- light, we rode tIll daylight In perfect si- le1ce-a statement you VIII scarcely De- jieye considering there were nall dozen women in the party. We studied the familiar faces of stars We had known ID childhood, which somehow look alien and strange here-like OuTselves-tO tar
 from home. Then light began to dawn, so that We could distinguish one an- others faces and made sure that We were not a company of spooks m shadow
 land; and soon the sun arose III blaze of golden glory seen only in the tropics. l Later we left the fertile lands that
 sdorn the bases of the foothills, and
 mounted by steep psths, where our horses picked their way like goats over loose stones, to barren heights where no, hing grows but stunted nopBls (prick- lley pearl snd miserable bluish-greeD
 magerey. After hours of hard riding
 THE DREADED BARRASCAs
 were collected before us, between the mountains, one behind the other. which It was necessary to cross by brIdle paths that lcok like roads for birds rather than
 for human beings. In not 6 little trep-
 edGtion We began the ascent, Indian file. of course, and for about twenty nm
 utes our horses scrambled up walls thai
 seemed almost perpendicular. Then we
 began slowly to descend-nOw in Rs great danger of pitching over our horses heads ss we had been before of sliding
 backwards, where e single mishRp or stumble would have prevented the
 chrouicling of this -O'er true tale" } Thus the second mountain, which, even sleeper than the first. was safely crossed, r and about four D. m. We cEnteTed into . the lively little town of San Francesca de Tetecala. Its white washed houses peeped out picturesquely from among , She orange trees, at the foot of wooded
 hills. and a little river, crossed by many rustic bridges. murmur5 through it. IL . was a fste day and musical bells were
 ringing merrily. while well-dressed , rancheros snd their families were flock
 ing in crowds from the church to the , Plaza de Forros where bull fight was : in progress. We louged to tarTy here, with our backsches and bruises, bul like that foolish boy with his banner ] "Excelsiorr were obliged to press on- ward and upward.
 By and by the moon arose serenely {; and a soft breeze, fragrant with orange , blossoms. wandered through the trees ! Sometimes We passed a pueblo of seat j. tered Indian huts. eRch with its little ,; ire of sticks lighted in the court, illumi- Il nating the brown faces Of women baking tOrtillss, and their mahogany -hued ba
 bies rolling in the dirt. At the sound 6 of our horses feet a chorus of dogs 8 yelpipg ID discordsnt fury. gave notice | of their total disspprobstion of night s travellers in general; but tine people ssl l. dom even turned their heads to look al e us, as if such csvslcsdes were matters oI e every day. Afterwards We lesrned that '. thIs unusual sullenuess has arisen from l. thelr difficulties with Protestant nis 1 sionaries stationed whereabouts. In then d minds the name Americana Is synomo d ous to missionsrio, and both mean D f.natico whom to kill would be doing D God good service.
 The remembrance of that evening": Q journey, mingled with sleepiness and D fatigue, seems now like the phsntssms f goTIa of 8 dream-s strange tumble oi y misty past and uncertain present. Il e WAS fully 10 o'clock before the fires oi ' the sugar factory, on the
 V CoCoYLA HACIENDA,
 !. where we were to pass the night, were D seen in the valley below us, dsrtiuG b up tbeIr red tongues among the { trees. So very tired were We that ever t the smoking supper offered no charms
 and We slept the sleep of the l. just without the customary precsuton e of shading the sheets for scorpions, ol f searching under the willows for serpeDtF n and centipedes.
 a Morning, however, found us good as = new," and long before dsybreak We were s off for the csverns by the light of & misty !. moon. After hours of hilly road Ee ] reached the pretty village of CBnslamIl. l. pas, where breakfast had been ordered D in advance. Here numbers of men and | boys surrounded us and followed m
 noisy procession, till We looked like 2
 regiment of rag muffins; but presently 2 the road becsme SO bad that the strsg- ' glers, one by ore deserted.
 The chain of mountains into whose ' bosom the cavern leads. is bleak ard barren beyond description. Within hall , mile to the mouth of the cave We came , to place even more dangerous than the barrsncss of the previous day-a nsr- ] row path, overhanglDg an appalling pre- cipioe, and bordering s perpendicular clifi, will barely room enough between earth and heaven for the horses feet, where a single false step, or the sliding away of loose earth on the edge of the
 abyss. meant inevitable destruction. ] Arriving at last near the entrance to : the cavern, we dismounted and climbed the rest of the way on foot, among stones and gravel, to the mysterious mouth of the mountain. Here, sacreligious though
 1t seemed-vhile the guides and mosos were preparing torches and making ready the fire works, We sat down with the [ breath of the subierrsnesn chambers , blowing upon us. and fortified ourselves